Slatechuck Creek is a short but culturally important stream on

Graham Island Graham Island () is the largest island in the Haida Gwaii archipelago (previously known as the Queen Charlotte Islands), lying off the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is separated by the narrow Skidegate Channel from the other pri ...

in the Queen Charlotte Islands of the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Only 6.7 km in length , it is located on the south flank of the small range including

Slatechuck Mountain Slatechuck Mountain, known as Kaagan in the Haida language, is a summit on south-central Graham Island in Haida Gwaii, formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands of the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is located about 9 km wes ...

, to the north of which is Yakoun Lake, the headwaters of the

Yakoun River The Yakoun River is the largest river on Haida Gwaii, off the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Estimated to be in length, it is located on Graham Island, the northernmost and largest of the archipelago, and runs in a twisting course genera ...

. Its main left tributary, Kagan Creek, is named for Slatechuck Mountain, whose name in the

Haida language Haida (', ', ', ') is the language of the Haida people, spoken in the Haida Gwaii archipelago off the coast of Canada and on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska. An endangered language, Haida currently has 24 native speakers, though revitalizatio ...

is ''Kaagan''. The basin of Slatechuck Creek is the only source in the world of a rare black form of argillite, formerly commonly known as "black slate". It plays an important role as a carving substance in Haida art and only Haida are permitted to quarry for it. "Slatechuck" is a local Chinook Jargon usage combining "slate" with "chuck", a word for water, river, lake.

Anthracite coal Anthracite, also known as hard coal, and black coal, is a hard, compact variety of coal that has a submetallic luster. It has the highest carbon content, the fewest impurities, and the highest energy density of all types of coal and is the high ...

and other minerals have been observed in the local geology.

External links

*
BC Govt MINFILE Record Summary "Slatechuck Creek''Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia'' entry "Slatechuck Mountain (Kaagan)"
Rivers of Haida Gwaii Graham Island {{FirstNations-stub

See also

External links